1. Background

In our web project testing, one routine is to verify if the web page can display some special characters well.

So how many special characters are there need to be verified?

2. Special Characters

I searched on the internet and then tried to type in a special way to Excel spreadsheet and found there are at least 375 characters can be typed out in this special way, maybe there are more, but 375 seems enough.

The below table shows these characters I tried:

Character ALT Code   Character ALT Code   Character ALT Code   Character ALT Code   Character ALT Code   Character ALT Code
☺ Alt 1   A Alt 65   ü Alt 129   ┴ Alt 193   € Alt 0128   Ç Alt 0199
☻ Alt 2   B Alt 66   é Alt 130   ┬ Alt 194   „ Alt 0132   È Alt 0200
♥ Alt 3   C Alt 67   â Alt 131   ├ Alt 195   … Alt 0133   É Alt 0201
♦ Alt 4   D Alt 68   ä Alt 132   ─ Alt 196   † Alt 0134   Ê Alt 0202
♣ Alt 5   E Alt 69   à Alt 133   ┼ Alt 197   ‡ Alt 0135   Ë Alt 0203
♠ Alt 6   F Alt 70   å Alt 134   ╞ Alt 198   ˆ Alt 0136   Ì Alt 0204
• Alt 7   G Alt 71   ç Alt 135   ╟ Alt 199   ‰ Alt 0137   Í Alt 0205
◘ Alt 8   H Alt 72   ê Alt 136   ╚ Alt 200   Š Alt 0138   Î Alt 0206
○ Alt 9   I Alt 73   ë Alt 137   ╔ Alt 201   ‹ Alt 0139   Ï Alt 0207
◙ Alt 10   J Alt 74   è Alt 138   ╩ Alt 202   Œ Alt 0140   Ð Alt 0208
♂ Alt 11   K Alt 75   ï Alt 139   ╦ Alt 203    Alt 0141   Ñ Alt 0209
♀ Alt 12   L Alt 76   î Alt 140   ╠ Alt 204   Ž Alt 0142   Ò Alt 0210
♪ Alt 13   M Alt 77   ì Alt 141   ═ Alt 205   ‘ Alt 0145   Ó Alt 0211
♫ Alt 14   N Alt 78   Ä Alt 142   ╬ Alt 206   ’ Alt 0146   Ô Alt 0212
☼ Alt 15   O Alt 79   Å Alt 143   ╧ Alt 207   “ Alt 0147   Õ Alt 0213
► Alt 16   P Alt 80   É Alt 144   ╨ Alt 208   ” Alt 0148   Ö Alt 0214
◄ Alt 17   Q Alt 81   æ Alt 145   ╤ Alt 209   • Alt 0149   × Alt 0215
↕ Alt 18   R Alt 82   Æ Alt 146   ╥ Alt 210   – Alt 0150   Ø Alt 0216
‼ Alt 19   S Alt 83   ô Alt 147   ╙ Alt 211   — Alt 0151   Ù Alt 0217
Alt 20   T Alt 84   ö Alt 148   ╘ Alt 212   ˜ Alt 0152   Ú Alt 0218
§ Alt 21   U Alt 85   ò Alt 149   ╒ Alt 213   ™ Alt 0153   Û Alt 0219
▬ Alt 22   V Alt 86   û Alt 150   ╓ Alt 214   š Alt 0154   Ü Alt 0220
↨ Alt 23   W Alt 87   ù Alt 151   ╫ Alt 215   › Alt 0155   Ý Alt 0221
↑ Alt 24   X Alt 88   ÿ Alt 152   ╪ Alt 216   œ Alt 0156   Þ Alt 0222
↓ Alt 25   Y Alt 89   Ö Alt 153   ┘ Alt 217   ž Alt 0158   ß Alt 0223
→ Alt 26   Z Alt 90   Ü Alt 154   ┌ Alt 218   Ÿ Alt 0159   à Alt 0224
← Alt 27   [ Alt 91   ¢ Alt 155   █ Alt 219   ¡ Alt 0161   á Alt 0225
∟ Alt 28   \ Alt 92   £ Alt 156   ▄ Alt 220   ¢ Alt 0162   â Alt 0226
↔ Alt 29   ] Alt 93   ¥ Alt 157   ▌ Alt 221   £ Alt 0163   ã Alt 0227
▲ Alt 30   ^ Alt 94   ₧ Alt 158   ▐ Alt 222   ¤ Alt 0164   ä Alt 0228
▼ Alt 31   _ Alt 95   ƒ Alt 159   ▀ Alt 223   ¥ Alt 0165   å Alt 0229
  Alt 32   ` Alt 96   á Alt 160   α Alt 224   ¦ Alt 0166   æ Alt 0230
! Alt 33   a Alt 97   í Alt 161   ß Alt 225   § Alt 0167   ç Alt 0231
" Alt 34   b Alt 98   ó Alt 162   Γ Alt 226   ¨ Alt 0168   è Alt 0232
# Alt 35   c Alt 99   ú Alt 163   π Alt 227   © Alt 0169   é Alt 0233
$ Alt 36   d Alt 100   ñ Alt 164   Σ Alt 228   ª Alt 0170   ê Alt 0234
% Alt 37   e Alt 101   Ñ Alt 165   σ Alt 229   « Alt 0171   ë Alt 0235
& Alt 38   f Alt 102   ª Alt 166   µ Alt 230   ¬ Alt 0172   ì Alt 0236
' Alt 39   g Alt 103   º Alt 167   τ Alt 231   ­ Alt 0173   í Alt 0237
( Alt 40   h Alt 104   ¿ Alt 168   Φ Alt 232   ® Alt 0174   î Alt 0238
) Alt 41   i Alt 105   ⌐ Alt 169   Θ Alt 233   ¯ Alt 0175   ï Alt 0239
* Alt 42   j Alt 106   ¬ Alt 170   Ω Alt 234   ° Alt 0176   ð Alt 0240
+ Alt 43   k Alt 107   ½ Alt 171   δ Alt 235   ± Alt 0177   ñ Alt 0241
, Alt 44   l Alt 108   ¼ Alt 172   ∞ Alt 236   ² Alt 0178   ò Alt 0242
- Alt 45   m Alt 109   ¡ Alt 173   φ Alt 237   ³ Alt 0179   ó Alt 0243
. Alt 46   n Alt 110   « Alt 174   ε Alt 238   ´ Alt 0180   ô Alt 0244
/ Alt 47   o Alt 111   » Alt 175   ∩ Alt 239   µ Alt 0181   õ Alt 0245
0 Alt 48   p Alt 112   ░ Alt 176   ≡ Alt 240   Alt 0182   ö Alt 0246
1 Alt 49   q Alt 113   ▒ Alt 177   ± Alt 241   · Alt 0183   ÷ Alt 0247
2 Alt 50   r Alt 114   ▓ Alt 178   ≥ Alt 242   ¸ Alt 0184   ø Alt 0248
3 Alt 51   s Alt 115   │ Alt 179   ≤ Alt 243   ¹ Alt 0185   ù Alt 0249
4 Alt 52   t Alt 116   ┤ Alt 180   ⌠ Alt 244   º Alt 0186   ú Alt 0250
5 Alt 53   u Alt 117   ╡ Alt 181   ⌡ Alt 245   » Alt 0187   û Alt 0251
6 Alt 54   v Alt 118   ╢ Alt 182   ÷ Alt 246   ¼ Alt 0188   ü Alt 0252
7 Alt 55   w Alt 119   ╖ Alt 183   ≈ Alt 247   ½ Alt 0189   ý Alt 0253
8 Alt 56   x Alt 120   ╕ Alt 184   ° Alt 248   ¾ Alt 0190   þ Alt 0254
9 Alt 57   y Alt 121   ╣ Alt 185   ∙ Alt 249   ¿ Alt 0191   ÿ Alt 0255
: Alt 58   z Alt 122   ║ Alt 186   · Alt 250   À Alt 0192      
; Alt 59   { Alt 123   ╗ Alt 187   √ Alt 251   Á Alt 0193      
< Alt 60   | Alt 124   ╝ Alt 188   ⁿ Alt 252   Â Alt 0194      
= Alt 61   } Alt 125   ╜ Alt 189   ² Alt 253   Ã Alt 0195      
> Alt 62   ~ Alt 126   ╛ Alt 190   ■ Alt 254   Ä Alt 0196      
? Alt 63   ⌂ Alt 127   ┐ Alt 191     Alt 255   Å Alt 0197      
@ Alt 64   Ç Alt 128   └ Alt 192         Æ Alt 0198      

 

Below is an image version of the above table, in case some characters can not be displayed well:

SpecialCharacters

The Alt code is for typing reference. You can type these characters by (From http://www.tedmontgomery.com/tutorial/altchrc.html)

1) Make sure Num Lock key has been pressed to activate the numeric key section of the keyboard.

2) Depress the Alt key.

3) While the Alt key is depressed, type the proper sequence of numbers (on the numeric keypad) of the ALT code from the table above.

4) Release the Alt key, and the character will appear.

Note: On a laptop computer, there usually is no numeric keypad. So, instead, depress the Fn (function) key, then the Alt key, then the numerical code sequence. The numbers are on the front of certain keyboard keys: M = 0, J = 1, K = 2, L = 3, U = 4, I = 5, O = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, and 9 = 9.

3. Summary

In real testing circumstance, you don’t want to type these characters, you can copy and paste from below texts:

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